Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider
The Orc Horde is on the run, Jandar's forces have pursued the blue vermin all the way up to the frozen north. Here, at the banks of a majestic glacier, the horde breaks apart; with no where left to run. Their champions have been pulled down and now their pursuers close in, sensing victory is at hand. Suddenly the Orcs begin to cry out, not in fear but in surprise and astonishment, pointing to the glacier. In confusion, others look to the glacier to see a shape riding out of a blizzard of snow. It is a single Orc mounted on a snow-white Swog. The Orcs begin to chant a name and, as the rider raises his wicked blade, the horde turns on their pursuers, pushing Jandar's army back. Nerak has returned! Stats *Life: 3 *Move: 8 *Range: 1 *Attack: 3 *Defense: 3 *Point Value: 50 Abilities *'Disengage': Nerak is never attacked when leaving an engagement. *'Orc Defensive Aura 1': All Orc figures within 4 clear sight spaces of Nerak add 1 to their defense dice. Nerak's Orc Defensive Aura does not affect Nerak. *'Snow Strength': Add 1 to Nerak's attack and defense while on a snow space. Synergy *May bond with the Blade Gruts and Heavy Gruts via Orc Champion Bonding. *May be activated by Ornak’s Red Flag of Fury ability. *'Orc Defensive Aura 1' Boosts the following: • Arrow Gruts • Blade Gruts • Grimnak • Heavy Gruts • Ornak • Swog Rider • Tornak'' • Death Chasers of Thesk *Is compatible with the Death Chasers of Thesk's '''Taskmaster Bonding'. Behind the Game Nerak is a repaint of the Swog Rider and was originally only available as a special promo unit, however he later was sold in stores as part of Wave 10. Rulings and Clarifications *'Receiving Bonus With Only One Hex on Snow Tile' If Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider (being a double-spaced figure), only has one hex on a snow tile, does he still receive the Snow Strength bonus? Yes. Per the card, as long as Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider is “on a snow space”, he will receive the bonus. *'Does Ice Equal Snow for Snow Strength?' Does ice count the same as snow when using Snow Strength? No, only snow counts for Snow Strength. Strategy A squad of Blade Gruts or Heavy Gruts walking in the shadow of Grimnak won’t get too far ahead of Nerak with his move of 8, and you needn’t place an Order Marker on Nerak’s card – use Orc Champion Bonding, and keep the Gruts moving. They will have to wait slightly longer for their leaders to catch up when you move Grimnak twice and Nerak once for every three order markers on the Gruts, but this can be an opportunity. When you are on the warpath with an Orc Army and headed toward a specific goal, ranged units sometimes snipe from the sides. “Soak off” a few of your Gruts to climb up and engage them, especially dangerous units like Deadeye and Syvarris. As your entourage slows down for terrain or gets caught engaging enemy shooters, bring up any extra squads of Blade Gruts or Heavy Gruts you have waiting in your start zone. Tornak moves faster, but don’t be afraid to send him on ahead. His survivability is high enough that you will be able to send Tornak into your opponent’s forces while he waits for Nerak to bring up the rear. As you move Nerak into place, don’t fear that you have wasted an Order Marker that could have activated Tornak. After all, part of Tornak’s presence is his Orc Warrior Enhancement, and right after you take your turn with Nerak, you will move your Orc warriors into place next to Tornak and attack your enemy with them. When you do decide to move Nerak up with either his own Order Marker or with Orc Champion Bonding, remember that he is not a walking Glyph! Your opponent may expect you to simply move Nerak up perfunctorily to ensure that he continues to confer his Orc Defense Aura. His Attack of 3 is high enough that you can use Nerak himself to harass your opponents. Make his Glacian Swog mount bite your enemy’s flank. Don’t fear placing him in engagement, as his Disengage ability allows him to ride away unscathed. As a bonus, if he is on snow terrain, his Attack of 4 makes him a more dangerous unit. If you are playing on a wintry map, remember that with the exception of Grimnak and Heavy Gruts, all of the Orcs in Heroscape have above average move. Most snow areas are fairly small, which means that you won’t have to slog through heavy snow and tip-toe over slippery ice for long. Bonding further mitigates the slow movement blues that snow and ice can present. As an added benefit, you can utilize Snow Strength on such a map. Category:Utgar Category:Orc Category:Unique Hero Category:Nerak's Return Category:Valkrill's Gambit Category:Repaint Figures